STEVE Bruce's finest hour came against Norwich City. And now probably so has his worst. Blues, victors over the Canaries in the 2002 play-off final, are back to where they started from, when Bruce took change.

Things have turned full circle and the brutal assessment is that it is hard to see him remaining as the club's manager for that much longer.

The board were prepared to grant him time and understanding, but that was before last night's game.

It was the manner in which Blues lost that was most disturbing, and could well influence them to reevaluate their stance, especially having seen the galvanising effects of a change at Albion and, indeed, Norwich.

And although Bruce insisted that he would not not quit, even he seemed to talk as if that was likely to be his lot, judging by the after-match press conference.

St Andrew's, strangely, wasn't boiling over with chants and protests. There was booing at the end, but not any more vociferous than it has been at other home games this season.

That in itself was damning. You could sense the restlessness around the ground, but there was an eerie apathy as well when it became obvious that Blues were unlikely to arrest a run of results that has left them with two of the last available 15 points.

It was as if fans have become so fed-up and disillusioned that they can hardly be bothered to register their unhappiness, or that it might fall on deaf ears.

However, an undercurrent was there, as when Bruce scuttled along his technical area and caught a miscued clearance by goalkeeper Paul Gallacher to set up a quick throw, he was booed.

For his sake and the club's sake, perhaps it is now best to move down a different road as this was a hugely worrying performance and even if Bruce were to somehow guarantee promotion, or even broker a deal for world peace, it still wouldn't be good enough for many whose minds are made up.

Blues, minus the dropped Mehdi Nafti and Stephen Kelly, started tentatively and Norwich, using five men in midfield with Darren Huckerby and Lee Croft breaking to support lone striker Robert Earnshaw from the flanks, were quickly in the ascendancy.

After five minutes Maik Taylor made a fine stop from Dickson Etuhu, who had been manoeuvred easily into the heart of the penalty area, and that set the tone.

Blues were comparatively listless. They lacked leadership, conviction and never looked as if they would build up or sustain a head of steam and threaten the opposition goal, as at least they have done in their other games.

DJ Campbell was fiercely sandwiched in a tackle by Gary Doherty and Adam Drury as he was about to apply a finishing touch to a pull-back by Gary McSheffrey, and Cameron Jerome couldn't shape his body smartly enough to turn in another inviting cross.

Those were their sole chances in the opening period and after the break, Taylor saved from Earnshaw at the near post and did heroically to deny the ex-Albion forward when he got clean through.

Bruce began to shuffle the team around with Julian Gray coming on and McSheffrey, then captain David Dunn going up front, but it was to no avail. Norwich were organised, combative and enthusiastic.

It was left too late to add Sebastian Larsson &#x2013; he should have replaced the injured Neil Danns in the 35th minute to bring some genuine width and craft to the fray.

Norwich's goal came in the 66th minute when Jason Shackell headed in a free-kick at the far post, although he didn't know much about it and the ball may even have gone in off Mat Sadler as he jumped to challenge.

Sadler almost equalised with a swerving shot taken on outside of his foot, Dunn took it upon himself to try and conjure an equaliser single-handedly and McSheffrey smashed a drive just over the crossbar right at the end.

But Blues, in truth, were deservedly beaten and were too muddled, patchy and inert. For spells in the second-half it was like watching the depressing stodge of last season as Norwich ran through them easily.